Did Kevin Costner's Messy Divorce Influence His Yellowstone Exit?

After five seasons, Kevin Costner has officially said goodbye to his role as Montana rancher John Dutton III on Paramount's "Yellowstone." Sources close to the production told ET that Costner chose to walk away from the show amid rumors of conflict between him and co-creator Taylor Sheridan regarding conflicting filming schedules. In light of the news of his departure, a spokesperson for the Paramount Network told The New York Post in February 2023, "We have no news to report. Kevin Costner is a big part of 'Yellowstone,' and we hope that's the case for a long time to come." Sheridan would go on to speak on the matter in his profile for The Hollywood Reporter in June 2023, telling the outlet he was let down by Costner's sudden departure. "It truncates the closure of his character," he stated. "It doesn't alter it, but it truncates it."

Around the same time as the "Yellowstone" controversy, Costner was dealing with a lot of drama in his personal life as he and his wife, Christine Baumgartner, called it quits on their marriage. The pair tied the knot in 2004 and share three kids in addition to Costner's four kids from previous relationships. Sources close to the situation said that the divorce was not something Costner "wanted nor sought" and that he was blindsided by the split, according to People. Given the timing of everything, it's easy for fans to assume that Costner's divorce might have something to do with his decision to up and quit "Yellowstone" — but is that really the case? 

Amid reports that Kevin Costner's departure from "Yellowstone" was prompted by his divorce from Christine Baumgartner, it was reported in May 2023 that there was no connection between the two events. "[The split] has nothing to do with 'Yellowstone,'" a source close to the situation told People, adding, "The two situations are unrelated." That said, it was reported that Baumgartner was growing increasingly frustrated over Costner's busy work schedule prior to their split. "Christine wants them to spend family time at their Santa Barbara home," an insider told the outlet. "His absence has been very hard for her." They added that Costner kept busy with his upcoming film, "Horizon: An American Saga," in recent months, and Baumgartner wasn't too happy about it. "[She] doesn't want him to throw himself into another project," claimed the source.

With all the excitement surrounding "Horizon" and the success of "Yellowstone," a separate source who spoke with the outlet claimed there were times when Costner's career had taken precedence over his family life. "Kevin hasn't been home very much for quite some time due to filming, the popularity of 'Yellowstone,' and the time necessary for his other projects," before adding that the actor may have gotten too carried away with it all. "He has been in demand," the source stated. "All of this success and excitement over [his] new project probably took his attention away from his family more than he realized." 

Kevin Costner has since broken his silence on the controversy surrounding his exit from "Yellowstone," months after it was confirmed that he was leaving the show. While taking the stand during a child support hearing in Santa Barbara, California, in September 2023, Costner revealed that he was forced to make the decision after a "long and hard-fought negotiation" with Paramount Network over creative differences and conflicting schedules. "I couldn't help them anymore," he said (via People). "We tried to negotiate [but] they offered me less money than previous seasons [and] there were issues with the creative." He also explained that Paramount's decision to split season 5 into two parts ultimately led to his exit, as he wanted to focus on filming his movie "Horizon." Stating that he already adjusted his schedule to shoot the first of two parts of the season finale, Costner said, "That's a big deal in this world."

During the hearing, Costner said he wanted to do Season 6 of "Yellowstone" before the show was officially canceled in May 2023. "It's complicated," he said regarding returning to the series (via Fox News). "I tried to break the log jam. They walked away." Since then, it's been confirmed that a new spin-off is in the works with Matthew McConaughey possibly set to lead. Meanwhile, Costner's upcoming film, "Horizon," which he wrote, directed, and will star in, is set to hit theaters this summer.